Effect of Water Activity, pH, and Lactic Acid Bacteria to Inhibit Escherichia coli during Chihuahua Cheese Manufacture.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pH control, water activity (Aw), and the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the proliferation of Escherichia coli in the curd during the manufacturing of Chihuahua cheese. Milk proved to be an excellent culture medium for E. coli, allowing it to develop at concentrations up to 109 cfu/g. However, the presence of LAB, the pH control, Aw, and especially the use of the Cheddarization process during the Chihuahua cheese production proved to be important obstacles that inhibited the proliferation of E. coli under the conditions studied. Moreover, reducing the water activity of the curd as quickly as possible is presented as the most powerful tool to inhibit the development of E. coli during the Chihuahua cheese-making process.

Sub-chronic consumption of a phenolic-rich avocado paste extract induces GLP-1-, leptin-, and adiponectin-mediated satiety in Wistar rats.

Avocado paste (AP) is a phenolic-rich byproduct of avocado oil extraction. The effects of sub-chronic consumption of diets supplemented with an AP phenolic extract (PE) were analyzed. A standard diet (SD), high-fat diet (HFD), and these supplemented with PE (SD + PE and HFD + PE) were used. Significantly increased satiety was observed in PE-supplemented groups, according to less food consumption (-15% in SD + PE vs. SD, and -11% in HFD + PE vs. HFD), without changes in weight gain or percentage of adipose tissue. PE-supplemented groups had an increased plasma concentration ( + 16% in SD + PE vs. SD, and +26% in HFD + PE vs. HFD) and relative mRNA expression (+74% in SD + PE vs. SD, and +46% in HFD + PE vs. HFD) of GLP-1; an increase in plasma leptin and adiponectin was independent of their mRNA expression. Our results suggest that AP-derived PE exerts a satiety effect in vivo, possibly mediated by GLP-1, leptin, and adiponectin. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Minimizing food waste is a top priority in most of the world, thus, researchers seek methods to reintroduce industrial fruit and vegetable byproducts into the food processing chain. The present work highlights the potential of avocado byproducts as sources of bioactive phenolic compounds, whose sub-chronic consumption (8 weeks) exerts a satiety action in vivo. Avocado farming is resource-intensive, making it of relevance to producers and processing industries to avoid discarding its byproducts as much as possible.

Evaluation of Cooking Quality, Nutritional and Texture Characteristics of Pasta Added with Oat Bran and Apple Flour.

This study reports the effect of the addition of oat bran and apple flour on the cooking quality, digestibility, antioxidant, nutritional and texture characteristics of a spaghetti-type pasta. Pasta samples were prepared by substituting 50% of durum wheat semolina with oat bran (OBP) or apple flour (AFP). AFP presented higher cooking loss and water absorption index than the control pasta prepared with 100% durum wheat semolina (WSP). The supplementation of pasta with oat bran increased the total dietary fiber content (16.43% w/w, dw), while apple flour decreased the protein content (11.16% w/w, dw). There was no significant difference in the resistant starch content among all pasta samples. The pasta samples made with 50/50 durum wheat semolina/oat bran and 50/50 durum wheat semolina/apple flour increased the antioxidant activity by ≈46% and ≈97%, respectively. The OBP and AFP samples had a similar texture to the control pasta. A 50% replacement of durum wheat semolina with oat bran in a pasta formulation decreased the caloric content and digestibility of its starch components. These attributes found in the oat bran pasta and apple flour pasta make them a healthy choice for the diet of people with specific nutritional needs.